Track for track laying wheels



. 1, 1936/ I I J. KUCHAR 2 3,

TRACK FOR TRACK LAYING WHEELS Filed May 1952 4 Sheets-Shet 1v 1206722 07 1 0 5 Mali a2 Sept, 1', 1936. J. KUCHA R v TRACK FOR TRACK LAYING WHEELS Fil ed May ,6, 1952 4 sheets-sheet 2 1,1936. J KUCHAR r 2,053,087 Q TRACK FOR TRACK LAYING, WHEELS I Y Filed May 6, 1952 4 Sheet sSh eet-= s I I I Sept. 1, 1936. J. KUCHAR TRACK FOR TRACK LAYING WHEELS "Failed; May 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 x I .jaeizfw" z fwe 9/2 Jfzcfiar 3 1 dyj' Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Trak 00., ware Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Dela-.

Application May 6, 1932, Serial No. 609,605

7 Claims.

This invention relatesv to tracks for track laying wheels which are adapted to be laid on the ground to provide support for a vehicle, and to be raised continuously as the vehicle proceeds.

The invention particularly relates to tracks comprising a series otarticulated track elements, adjacent track elements being adapted to be trussed one to theother so as to providea beam or bridge which is rigidagainst displacement, in one direction and which is flexible with respect to displacement in the oppositedirection.

One of theobl'ec' ts of the invention is to provide an improved track. l

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved track element. r

A further'object of the invention is to provide a track built of av plurality of. elements, those most subject towear-being readily removable and replaceable. V

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide a trackhaving an improved truss mechanism.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurel-isa side elevation of a truss wheel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on a larger scale, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the track, partly in section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4' is a side elevation of a portion of the track, showing the construction thereof in greaterdetail than is shown in Fig. 1, and on a larger scale;

Fig. 5,is ajplan view of one of thelink elements;

Fig. 6- is a plan view of one of the trussv elements;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 8 is a, sectional view taken therethrough on the line 8-'8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 91s a plan view of amodified form of truss element, and i Fig. 1 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the improved track I0 is shown as part of a truss wheel. This truss wheel comprises a beam H which is pivotally mounted on an axle I2 atits center. At either endjthe beam llc'arries bearings H! for axles M which project outwardly. from the beam at either side. Wheels l ;,are keyed to -the axle M at each end. The peripheries of the wheels] 5 are adapt- .ed to engage with portions. of. thetrack which provide a railor support forfsaidwheds in the manner hereinafter more fully", described.

The track It]. is constitutedfby a continuous series of articulatedlelements,l6 which are pivotally connected together so that the same may 5 accommodate themselves aroundthe wheels I5 in the manner shown inLFigQl Means are provi ded.s o that each track element vmay interlock withthe adjacent trachelements in such a manner that the track is rigid when subjected to load 10 in one direction: andis flexible andreadily. bent in theiother direction. 'I'he. rigidityreferred to is important in the portion of the'tra'ck located below and between the two pairs. of wheels [5, this portion acting as an inverted bridgeand distributing over. alarge area, the load applied by the axle [2 on the beam.

ach trackelement comprises a shoe plate I! which may be formed of forged steel, rolled steel or-other suitable material. Each plate I! ,may be provided with transverse grousersor ribs' l'8. At its rorw ard and rearward edges the plate I1 is provided with curved surfaces wl iich cooperatewith complementary surf-aces upon the .adjacentshoe plates in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and4. On each side each shoeplate 'Ilhas secured thereto a link. element ls H which will now. bedescribed. FI he link element 9 preferably is a iorgingoffthe; -st ructure in configuration shown in Figs. l -to -5-inclusive. The link element i 9 is provided-withhubs '20., 2| which are stagger-ed transversely in the longitudinal direction so thatthe outer face of the hub 201s in subst n ial; o d n l. a nme t. w t the n r face oi-thc hubfZ}, as'will more readily be understood with reierenceto Fig. 3 Thehubs-ifl and 2! are connected by- -a sl, E .il1%=I;.Vertical web 22 which. is provided at its lower edge with a horizontal-web Z3.and at.its upper edge with a hori- @i ;Y/fb24- q e 3.,1Shmfidfid n 40 itsupp r e w hhessesqziwh ch r mvi with openings whereby-.th link element may be secured-to the shoe plate llgby means of.,-;bolts 26.

The. upp r r ace of hewsb i machined to prov-ide a gflat fa cejfl. I As wi-ll hereinafter appear, the flat-faces .21 fthe aligned links provide-atra'ck orrail for the wheels t5, which track or rail is laid down infront; of-jthe wheels and: is taken .up after the last wheels-have passed over it. On-theinnerside-of the surfacezlthe 5 link element-:19 is provided with an upwardly extending-arm 3 28, which mayr suitably be aweb of substant ally t i u ar.ap ea nce, .Ths. a s p ri datits upper-end a ex with-a hub-2'9, the axis of which -is preferably located approximately half way between the centers of the hubs 20 and 2| and at a substantial distance thereabove.

It will be understood that the link elements l9 which are secured to opposite sides of the shoe plate I! are exactly similar, one being a mirror image of the other, so that the hubs 20, 2| and 29 on each link element are in transverse alignment.

The hubs 20 of each opposite pair of link elements l9 are connected by sleeves 30 which have a drive fit therein, and extend slightly therebeyond on either side so that in assembled condition said ends project into the hubs 2| which are counterbored to receive them. Pins 3| have a drive fit in the hubs 2| and extend through the sleeves 30 in which they have a working fit.

In assembling the track two opposite link elements H] are placed on either side of a sleeve or bushing 36 with their hubs 20 in alignment therewith. The link elements are pushed inwardly so as to enter the sleeve 30 into the hubs 20 so as to project therebeyond to the desired extent. A pin 3| is passed through the sleeve 30 and a further pair of opposite links H! are placed with their hubs 2| in alignment with the pin 3| and with their hubs 20 in alignment with a further sleeve 30. The last said pair of link elements are then pressed home. This assembling operation is continued until a track of the desired length is built up. The link elements l9 may be bolted to the shoe plate I! at any time after these links are assembled with respect to the sleeve or bushing 30. While it has been indicated that it is preferred to press opposite links l9 upon the pins 3| simultaneously with the pressing of the links upon the sleeve 30, it will be understood that this manner of assembly may be modified. For example, the pins 3! may be pushed from one side of the links I9 after they have been assembled upon the bushings 30.

It will be noted that the sleeve 30 having a drive fit in the hubs 2|] secures the opposite links H! in rigid assembly. The pin 3| having a drive fit in the hubs 2|, is rigid with respect thereto. Between the sleeve 30 and the pin 3| there is a working clearance. Consequently the only surfaces subjected to wear owing to the relative movement between adjacent links are the inner surfaces of the sleeves 30 and the outer surfaces of the pins 3| in contact therewith. Owing to the construction described the surfaces are enclosed with respect to sand and dirt and are adapted to retain lubricant supplied thereto in any suitable manner for a considerable time.

In order that the ends of the track may be readily united together and disconnected, for example when applying the track to the wheels l5 or removing it therefrom, I make a sleeve 32 at one extremity of the track shorter than the sleeves 30 so that its ends lie flush with the hubs 20 into which it is pressed. The hubs 2| at the other end of the track are provided with the usual counterbores, into which are placed rings 33, which occupy the position of the projecting ends of the sleeves 30 in the other pivots of the track. A pin 34 has a free sliding fit through the sleeve 32, the rings 33 and the hubs 2| associated therewith. These hubs 2| are provided on their outer faces with slots so that cotter pins 35 may pass through openings at the extremities of the pin 34 so as to hold said pin in position.

It will readily be understood that the track is assembled by applying the same around the wheels l5. The rings 33 are inserted in the recess or counterbores on the inner sides of the hubs 2|. The hubs 20 are then slipped in between the hubs 2| and the pin 34 is slipped into position. The cotter pins 35 are then inserted and the installation is complete.

The truss elements are carried by pins 36 which may be driven through the hubs 29 during the assembly operation above described, or at a later time. I have shown one form of truss element in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive and another form in Figs. 9 and 10. The first form will now be described.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 6, '7 and 8 the truss element is designated by the reference numeral 3! and comprises two side webs 38 which converge forwardly from a sleeve 39, with which they are integral. The sleeve 39 has an opening 40 through which the pin 36 is adapted to pass. The opening 40 is slightly larger than the pin 31 so that the element 31 has a working fit thereon. Between the webs 38 the forward side of the sleeve 39 is made rectangular in cross-section so as to provide a flat forward face 4| of substantial extent and a. lesser fiat underface 42. The webs 38 converge forwardly and at their forward ends terminate in upturned hook portions 43. The forward ends of the webs 38 are connected by a web 44 which extends along the inner edges of the hook portions 43 providing a substantially vertical surface 45. Below the hook portion 43 the web 44 extends obliquely downwards and rearwardly, thus connecting the webs 38 together in the form of an integral unit. The latter portion of the web 44 is provided with an upwardly projecting stub which provides an upwardly directed horizontal face 46. At intermediate points each of the webs 38 is provided with an outwardly directed ear 41, which slopes forwardly and downwardly as shown in Fig. '7.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4 it will be seen that in the lower load bearing portion of the truck the ears 4'! engage the forward faces of the arms 28 upon which the truss member 31 is mounted, and this engagement supports the truss member 31 so as to hold its contacting surfaces 45 and 46 in contact with the surfaces 4| and 42 respectively of the next adjacent truss element 31 in the forward direction. It will be seen in Fig; 4 that any force applied to an intermediate link element will tend to effect rotation between adjacent link elements which would bring the upper ends of their arms 28 further apart. Such movement is resisted by the truss elements 31.

As will be seen from Fig. 6 the forward end of the truss element 31 is relatively narrow so that it may be readily accommodated within the space between the webs 38 of the adjacent element 31. The assembly relation is shown in the left-hand side of Fig. 3. It will readily be understood that the pins 36 can be driven during the assembly of the track so as to locate the series of truss elements 31 in cooperating relationship, or they may be driven at any time and the truss members 31 and pins 36 may be removed and replaced at anytime without disassembling the remainder of the track. When the track folds up to go around the wheels IS the ears 4! go into engagement with the arms 28 of the link element on which they are mounted and of the adjacent link element in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The ears 4'! taper downwardly somewhat so as to make the desired contact. As a result of this contact the track folds up in an orderly and regular manner.

elements and these surfaces are In the structure of track described the pivots between the link elements l6 are very completely enclosed and are subject to very little wear. The principal wear is consequently limited to the contacting surfaces of the truss elements 38. It will be seen that the wearing contact takes place exclusively at the engaging surfaces of the truss made of substantial area so as to lessen wear. Consequently by merely removing the pins 36 and replacing the truss elements 31 the worn surfaces are removed and the track is thoroughly reconditioned.

In the modified form of truss element shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the sleeve 39 is replaced by a pair of bosses 48 which are integral with the webs 38. The forward ends of the webs 38 and the web 44 are configured so as to provide a concave surface 49 of cylindrical form which is adapted to engage that portion of the pin 36 of the adjacent truss element which is exposed between the bosses 48. With this modification the principal wear is between the surfaces 49 of the truss members 31 and the pins 36. Consequently the track can be substantially reconditioned by merely removing and replacing the pins 36 and truss elements 31.

Although the invention has been described in connection with the specific details of preferred embodiments thereof, it must be understood that such details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except in so far as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A track comprising a series of track elements pivotally connected together, each track element comprising a pair of truss arms, a pin in the upper ends of each pair of truss arms, a truss element having spaced bosses provided with openings whereby it is pivotally mounted on said pin leaving an intermediate portion of the pin exposed, said truss element being provided with a hook portion recessed to receive said intermediate portion of the pin of the adjacent track element between the bosses of its truss element, so as to truss the track against inward displacement.

2. A track element comprising a. shoe plate, a pair of link elements removably secured to said plate, a truss arm carried by each of said link elements, means adapted to provide pivotal connection with adjacent track elements and having a pressed fit in the link elements securing opposite pairs rigidly together, means having a pressed fit securing the truss arms rigidly together and a hooked truss element pivotally carried by the last said pressed means.

3. A track comprising a series of track elements, each element comprising a shoe plate, a pair of link elements bolted thereto, each element carrying a truss arm extending inwardly, a pin and sleeve pressed into said link elements to connect them rigidly together and provide pivoting members for connecting the track element to adjacent track elements, a pin pressed into said truss arms, a truss element pivotally mounted on the track element by said pin, said truss'element extending longitudinally with respect to the track element and tapering away from said pin, its remote end being provided with a hook.

4. A track comprising a series of track elements, each element comprising a shoe plate, a pair of link elements bolted thereto, each element carrying a truss arm extending inwardly, a pin and sleeve pressed into said link elements to connect them rigidly together and provide pivoting members for connecting the track element to adjacent track elements, a pin pressed into said truss arms, a truss element pivotally mounted on the track element by said pin leaving an intermediate portion of said pin exposed, said truss element extending longitudinally with respect to the track element and tapering away from said pin, its remote end being provided with a hook recessed to receive the intermediate portion of the pin of the adjacent track element, and ears extending outwardly from said truss element adapted to engage the truss arms.

5. A truss element comprising a pair of bosses, convergent webs extending therefrom, a transverse web between the convergent webs connecting same at their adjacent ends, said webs being configured to provide a cylindrical bearing surface of substantially the same curvature as the openings in the bosses, the first said webs being provided with outwardly projecting ears adapted to serve as abutment and spacing members.

6. A track comprising a series of track elements pivotally connected together, each track element comprising a pair of truss arms, a pin fitted into the upper end of each pair of truss arms, a truss element for each track element comprising a pair of spaced bosses pivotally mounted on each pin, a pair of convergent webs extending from said bosses and united at the opposite ends and formed into a hook having a cylindrical bearing surface of the same curvature as the pins, the bosses of each truss element being spaced apart a distance to permit the hooked end of one truss element to engage the pin of an adjacent track element intermediate said bosses.

7. A truss element adapted for use with a series of track elements pivotally connected together and each track element having a pair of truss arms connected by a transversely extending pin, comprising a pair of spaced bosses having bearing openings adapted for pivotal mounting on said pin, a pair of convergent webs extending from said bosses and united at the opposite ends and formed into a hook having a cylindrical bearing surface of the same curvature as the bearing openings in said bosses, said bosses being spaced a distance to permit the hooked end of an adja- 60 JOSEPH KUCHAR. 

